Pulmonary Rehabilitation

About the service

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program of exercise, education, and support to help you learn to breathe - and function - at the highest level possible.

Benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation:

help to improve your muscle strength, so you can use the oxygen you breathe more efficiently

improve your general fitness and help you to cope better with feeling out of breath

help you to feel to stronger and fitter, and able to do more.

What happens in a pulmonary rehabilitation course?

You'll work with our team of specialists through a programme of exercise and information; we'll support you to become fitter and encourage you to self-manage your condition.

Before the programme starts we will find out:

what you can and cannot do;

how activity affects you; and

how you are feeling and coping with your condition.

The programme runs for six weeks with two sessions a week for up to 18 people at one time. People attend for two hours; approximately one hour of exercise and one hour of advice, education and discussion.

Topics might include:

breathing techniques to use when recovering your breath, or during physical activity or if you feel anxious

why exercise is so important for people with lung conditions

how to manage stress

healthy eating

how to use your inhalers and other medicines

what to do when you are unwell.

All patients receive a comprehensive assessment before being accepted onto the programme as well as a pre-discharge review.

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Case studies

Mr J, age 68, diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Mr J was complaining of increasing breathlessness. He was reducing activity levels because of his fear of his breathlessness and thinking that this was harmful.

He didn’t feel he had any support to manage his condition and didn’t feel that he had been given any information relating to his condition, his medication or how to use his inhalers. He also didn't have a plan of how to manage his condition if it worsened.

At the end of the programme Mr J was able to walk further and had shown marked improvement in quality of life measures.